soldering iron & advice for magnifier

Jay> Tom wrote... Jay> I'm not familiar with Metcal units. How would the MX1 compare Jay> with the Weller WES51 I recently bought? I've used a Weller WTCPR (Curie point temperature control) iron for many years. The "PTS" tip is sharp and slender, perfect for fine SMD work. It's harder to find than most other tips. Extra thin solder and a lamp + magnifier completes the toolkit. Jay> Also, I have a lamp magnifier... one of those lighted magnifiers Jay> on a elbow arm you clamp to your desk. Invaluable to me for Jay> small work. Mine is missing one of the two springs, so I'm out Jay> looking for a new one. I found a truely nice one for $55 that Jay> has two separate flourescent bulbs on each side (I strongly Jay> prefer flourescent lights for that rather than the cheap Jay> incandescent units). I'm thinking these would have to be better Jay> than a stereo microscope (which I've never used)??? Wouldn't it Jay> be hard to position boards and such under that? I'd say this is a matter of personal preference. I picked my tools based on what was available along with the advice of a professional -- a lady who routinely assembles prototype boards full of 240 lead PQFPs in no time flat. She uses one of those magnifiers with a circular fluorescent tube wrapped around it. I didn't have one of those so I made do with a Sunnex light plus magnifier combo, not quite as good but sufficient. The stereo microscope at the office did come in handy for post-assembly inspection. paul